บท 9: Dresses and Deception
It had been a month since she had overturned the staff and fired the Head Maid, she had given the honor to Evangeline while placing the golden brooch on her uniform to signal her new job. Yet, there was no time to rest. Today was the day of her tea party. Her brother was also going to be attending a gathering for young boys his age. Aris had become far more social after the firing of Viria and the other maids. Completely overturning the staff in the palace, it had taken a month for things to move smoothly. With daily lessons from both Rowan and Leo, he was starting to excel at swordsmanship. She had never known that Aris had an innate talent for being a knight. It was a shame that she had never been able to know that before.
Lumielle was going to a tea party hosted by the daughter of a Marquise, Veronica Cassiel. She was older than Lumielle by four years, being sixteen and already one of the most beautiful women in all of high society. Yet, the reason she was going was because of one reason, Vera despised Cosette. She was one of the only women who showed adamant disdain for the Duke's Daughter. Later, she would end up marrying the son of Viscount; many admonished her but that man became one of the highest-ranking bureaucrats in all of Endora and was known for his faithful nature, something that could not be said about a lot of men.
Dressed in a pale white dress, Maddy pouted, "My Lady, you should dress in extravagant clothes!"
The new maids that Sylvia had helped bring were kinder with her; with Sylvia's extroverted nature, it was easy to bring in new faces, all of those who she could make loyal to her. "I don't really think I suit such clothes." Lumielle was being honest. Even as an adult, she did not keep up with the trends of high society. She had never found fashion or beauty to be admirable. As such, she had ignored it. Picking dreary colors and easy dresses, she didn't concern herself with new trends and due to her negligence, Lumielle still didn't know what to wear. Cosette enabled her behavior by buying and picking dresses that apparently suited her, all of which were black.
Her hair had been partially tied up with a white ribbon; the stark contrast between her lilac tresses and the white dress looked rather lovely. The body was simple with classic embroidery. There was nothing special about it; in fact, a low-ranking noble would enough money would be able to buy such a dress.
Was she nervous? Lumielle had never attended tea parties when she was younger. After all, high society did not accept her and with her withering personality, she was a dead rose in a field of blossoming flowers. No one wanted to see a corpse and the lifeless Imperial Princess didn't socialize with anyone. She was limply strewn along with a hollow title. That was in the past; she had been given a chance to start anew.
Gripping the material of her skirts, she let out a slight exhale. It was her first time entering such an event and Lumielle had to admit it unnerved her. Arriving at the Viscount's estate, she was shifted awkwardly and maintained her gait. The ladies had already gathered and instantly, their eyes assessed her. Extravagant dresses and beautiful jewelry—they must have all heard that the Princess was attending. All these women were older than her. She would have to give her compliments to Vera, all these women would become power players in high society. All of them but Veronica would hold a fondness for Cosette, "Good afternoon. The daughter of Marquise Cassiel greets one of the Stars of the Endora Empire."
Vera was the first one to curtsy and bow as the rest of the ladies followed suit. Grabbing the hem of her dress, she also showed her gratitude, "I am honored to be invited to such an event. Although I have yet to debut in society, Lady Veronica was kind enough to send me an invite."
Sitting down, she was served some tea inside of a beautiful cup. Feeling tense, she had to admit that it was almost suffocating being here. Indeed, she could feel their eyes on her. They wanted to know what she would say and do. Giving a smile, she spoke up, "Be at ease. I'm still young and I'm honored to be in the presence of all you ladies." Flattery was the best as Veronica smiled.
"You're quite well-mannered for someone your age."
A pink-haired noble, the daughter of Count Fleur spoke up, "Young girls her age are supposed to be rambunctious, Vera!" Yennafer gave Lumielle a sweet smile. The Princess returned one as well. She remembered Yennafer, the daughter of Count Fleur for her kindness. Even in her past life, she was one of the only nobles that conversed with her at parties. Bright blue oculars and soft cotton-candy colored tresses, she was a beauty. It was a shame that she would marry an abusive man due to her father's death.
As the flow of conversation continued, Lumielle felt more relaxed. In her previous life, she would have never attended a tea party, either because she was terrified of it or simply because she believed it was frivolous. Cosette was the one who attended these small events with a saccharine smile; hosting tea parties in the gardens and having a myriad of friends.
It was fun. What an odd statement. Perhaps because she was so young, she had always been treated like a child. Yet, here with these older young ladies, she felt more respected. Their conversations were easy to get involved in and she wondered if, in her past life, she could have also been this social? It was a useless frivolous idea that she easily discarded. There was no use mulling over the past. It had happened. She should focus on the future.
"But Princess," Lady Elise asked, her eyes scanned her appearance. Elise had always been blunt; Cosette had disliked the young woman for her tongue. Yet, even Elise started to enjoy the Duke De Sade daughter's free and delicate personality. Unhinbited, her sea-foam eyes gazed at her, "Why are you dressed so humbly?"
There it was. Lumielle had been waiting for this question to grab sympathy from these young women. It seemed that they all wanted to ask but had been holding their tongues due to concern about how she would react. Indeed, due to the fact that she had been caged indoors, there were not many that knew about the Princess. She was a recluse character that many fantasized about. Yet, when she finally debuted, her anger at Cosette instantly shifted public opinion unfavorably. Her gloomy exterior and her cold-hard anger had caused people to shun her. Now, she could change all of that.
Looking down at her teacup, Lumielle did her best to muster up some chagrin, "Well, I don't really know what's in fashion lately. I just asked my maid to get some dresses for me." Her mother had passed away and as such, she had no one to tell her the new fashion. Evangeline though having noble blood, was a bastard. Though she knew that Evangeline could pick up on high society trends, Lumielle had told her to ignore it.
Pity was what she needed which was why she wasn't expecting arms to be wrapped around her. "Princess, don't worry!" Veronica exclaimed; she could smell the sweet rose perfume that the young woman used. She was effortlessly beautiful as Lumielle raised her arms in surprise to reciprocate the embrace. How long had it been since someone other than her brother hugged her? She was absolutely stunned. Veronica pulled away her round green eyes glittering like emeralds. Her hair was black, onyx like the night, but she looked determined, "The next time I buy dresses, let's go together."
Lumielle remembered a small memory from her past. Veronica's mother had also passed away at a young age. She must have also struggled to adapt to high society; that was right. "Lady Veronica I—," she responded, she was surprised by the fact that she had gained more than pity. All she wanted was for the young women to take her side.
"Vera! You can call me Vera. Everyone here does anyway!"
"Then, you can all call me Mielle," the lilac-haired female said looking at the rest of the women who nodded enthusiastically. This was even better; to have sympathy but also to gain Veronica on her side with a common cause. She had never even thought that Veronica could be so easily swayed. Then again, she was only sixteen. Young, Lumielle must have harped upon her sympathy and due to her young age, it was easy to pity her.
Yennafer spoke up, "You're so adorable, Mielle! You should come to my estate. The leaves are starting to change colors and it looks beautiful!"
Lumielle's eyes lit up, "I would be honored to see Count Fleur's estate. I've heard it is one of the most beautiful in all of Endora." Indeed, Yennafer's father was a famous architect; it was a shame that he died and thus, her mother sold her to a high-paying noble known for his abusive nature. Then again, Lumielle could not save everyone, she was far too busy changing the future for herself. How could she be concerned for others?
Vera laughed, "See, she's so well-mannered and well-versed!" Praising her as an older sister would, Lumielle couldn't help but feel flustered. It was the first time that someone had ever spoken so highly of her. "It's cute when you blush. You actually look your age," Vera said laughing and gently brushing some hair from Lumielle's face.
"Thank you, Vera." The words felt awkward and clunky as they escaped her lips. She had never had someone like this young woman in her life previously.
Grinning, her green eyes sparkled beautifully—Lumielle could understand how Vera became the flower of high society before Cosette entered the scene. Both were extraordinarily beautiful, "We'll buy dresses next week then?" Vera asked holding her hands, "I promise! You can come to my estate and we'll have them fitted and made together!"
"I can't wait!" Lumielle responded in haste; that was right, having these young women close to her would only benefit her in the future. She shouldn't be swayed.
Leaning against the carriage's plush seats, she exhaled, "Since those ladies are kind enough to send me dresses that no longer fit them, I suppose we can get rid of those dresses that you bought for me previously." She tapped her finger against her thigh giving Evangeline a smile, "It would be a shame if we just threw them out. Why don't we give them to the new maids in the Palace? Since we bought different sizes, there should be enough for all of them, right?"
Evangeline smiled back; "Yes, Princess. I do believe that there is."
Humming, Lumielle tucked some hair behind her ear. Despite her protests, Vera had opened up her closet fishing out old dresses. Luckily, Lumielle was still quite tall and as such, she could wear dresses that the young ladies had made a year prior to this current season. Vera had stated that wearing these out-dated dresses was better than those simple dresses. Even Elise, one of the more level-headed young ladies had agreed, stating that she should dress beautifully to highlight her appearance. She had been surprised for she knew that Elise was not one to praise for the sake of flattery.
"Eva," Lumielle mumbled looking at her reflection through the glass of the window, "Am I pretty?"
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